MattheW 12:1 | 1553 have been raid ing it. 13 For all the Proph ets and the Law proph e sied un til John. 14 And if you are will ing to ac cept it, he is the Eli jah who was to come. 15 Who ev er has ears, let them hear.
16
“ To what can I com pare this gen er a tion? They are like chil dren sit ting in the mar ket plac es and call ing out to oth ers:
17
“‘ We played the pipe for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
18
For John came nei ther eat ing nor drink ing, and they say,‘ He has a de mon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eat ing and drink ing, and they say,‘ Here is a glutton and a drunk ard, a friend of tax col lec tors and sin ners.’ But wis dom is proved right by her deeds.”
Woe on Unrepentant Towns
11:21-23pp— Lk 10:13-15
20
Then Jesus be gan to de nounce the towns in which most of his mir a cles had been per formed, be cause they did not re pent. 21“ Woe to you, Chora zin! Woe to you, Beth sa i da! For if the mir a cles that were per formed in you had been per formed in Tyre and Si don, they would have re pent ed long ago in sack cloth and ash es. 22 But I tell you, it will be more bear able for Tyre and Si don on the day of judg ment than for you. 23 And you, Ca per na um, will you be lift ed to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades. a For if the mir a cles that were performed in you had been per formed in Sod om, it would have re mained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bear able for Sod om on the day of judg ment than for you.”
The Father Revealed in the Son
11:25-27pp— Lk 10:21,22
25
At that time Jesus said,“ I praise you, Fa ther, Lord of heav en and earth, be cause you have hid den these things from the wise and learned, and re vealed them to lit tle chil dren. 26 Yes, Fa ther, for this is what you were pleased to do.
27
“ All things have been com mit ted to me by my Fa ther. No one knows the Son ex cept the Fa ther, and no one knows the Fa ther ex cept the Son and those to whom the Son choos es to re veal him.
28
“ Come to me, all you who are wea ry and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gen tle and hum ble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my bur den is light.”
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath
12:1-8pp— Mk 2:23-28; Lk 6:1-5 12:9-14pp— Mk 3:1-6; Lk 6:6-11
At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sab bath. His dis ci ples were
12 hun gry and be gan to pick some heads of grain
a
23 That is, the realm of the dead
11:14 he is the Elijah The prophet Malachi had foretold the coming of a messenger— Elijah— who would prepare the way of the Messiah( Mal 3:1; 4:5); consequently, some Jews expected the return of Elijah himself( e. g., Jn 1:25). However, Jesus explains here that Malachi’ s prophecy was fulfilled by John the Baptist, who ministered in the spirit and power of Elijah( Lk 1:17, compare Mt 16:14). 11:17 We played the pipe for you In this illustration, children play music and sing, but their friends do not play along. Jesus makes the point that the Jews rejected John’ s message of judgment( expressed by not eating and drinking) and Jesus’ message of joy and hope( expressed by eating and drinking) because John and Jesus did not fit their expectations of Elijah and the Messiah( compare note on 11:14). 11:18 neither eating nor drinking A reference to John’ s ascetic lifestyle. 11:19 wisdom is proved right by her deeds See note on Lk 7:35.
11:20 – 24 Continuing the themes of vv. 16 – 19, Jesus pronounces woes on those who failed to heed his preaching.
11:21 Chorazin A town near Capernaum. Bethsaida A town near Capernaum. Tyre and Sidon Powerful Gentile city-states in Phoenicia, northwest of Israel on the Mediterranean coast. 11:23 Capernaum Jesus’ base of ministry. Most of his miracles are performed in the region of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. Hades The realm of the dead. Compare note on Mt 16:18. Sodom The destruction of Sodom is described in Ge 19:1 – 29. See note on Mt 10:15.
11:25 – 30 After criticizing the unbelieving Jews, Jesus thanks the Father for his believing disciples( v. 25). He contrasts the burdensome teaching of the Pharisees by telling his disciples that his burden is light( v. 30), inviting them to full discipleship( vv. 28 – 29).
11:27 All things In light of v. 25, this could refer to all knowledge. It also could indicate complete authority, the totality of existence or everything needed to carry out the ministry of Jesus( compare 28:18; Da 7:14). 11:29 Take my yoke upon you Yokes were heavy, wooden crossbars used to connect two oxen together for more efficient plowing. Here, Jesus’ yoke represents his teaching. Allegiance to him and his kingdom results in a sense of peace— it is not laborious, like keeping the requirements of the Jewish leaders of the time, but instead is joyful. 11:30 my burden is light In contrast to the burdens imposed by Israel’ s religious leaders( compare Mt 23:4).
12:1 – 8 Jesus asserts his authority over the Sabbath in an encounter with the Pharisees. He cites two examples to demonstrate that people’ s needs outweigh the observance of Sabbath law.
12:1 the Sabbath The traditional day of rest for the Jewish people as prescribed by the law( Ex 20:8 – 11; 34:21).